Manual of Creative Thinking

Transcripción

This manual is the result of the project “Handmade Creative
Thinking” funded by the European Commission Lifelong Learning
Programme, sectorial programme Leonardo da Vinci, Transfer of
Innovation action (LLP-LDV-TOI-09-IT-0479).
www.handmadecreativethinking.eu
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non
Commercial-No Derivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this
license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
A DO IT YOURSELF MANUAL & ACTIVITIES
FOR DEVELOPING CREATIVE THINKING
Index
Preface
The Global Challenge
Manual Change
Thinking Facts
Creative Thinking Techniques
Learning Styles
Multiple Intelligences
What Makes This Manual Different?
The Capture System© A Transfer of Innovation
Creative Thinking For Business
Creative Thinking For Apprentices,
Students & VET Tutors
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CREATIVE THINKING IN ACTION
HCT Modules Overview
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Module One: How do you think
1: Creating the Right Environment
2: Thinking Time
3: The Use Of Language
4: Thinking with Objects
5a: Find Out What You Need For Craftspeople
5b: Find Out What You Need For Apprentices
5c: Find Out What You Need For VET Tutors
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Making Learning Stick
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Module Two: Applying Creative Thinking
1: Thinking In An Organised Way
2: Taking The First Steps
3: Finding Inspiration
4: Meeting Others
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5: Thinking With Objects
6: Get Playful With Those Challenges
7: Moving Thinking Forward
8: Creative Thinking For Business
9: Develop Your Product
10: Getting It To Market
11: Managing Those Precious Resources
12: Getting Your Message Across
13: Working Together
Acknowledgements And Sources Of Inspiration
Glossary Of Terms
Partner organisations
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Preface
The idea behind the Handmade Creative Thinking project came
from a recognition of the need to tackle the challenges that the
Cultural and Creative Industries face in Europe and the great
potential of Creative Thinking to enable innovation and change.
CESIE as the applicant and coordinator applied for funding from the
European Commission, LLP Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of
Innovation, in order to develop a project that would improve the
effectiveness and competitiveness of the applied arts/craft sector,
by empowering vocational trainers, SME’s, workers and apprentices
with new skills for innovation.
The aim was to make available the techniques collected in this
Manual, not only to those already working but also to those who in
the future will be training or will have the responsibility of training,
craft workers and artists.
For CESIE, the project and the collaboration of organisations from
different countries have been incredibly enriching.
Capture Arts had a background of working with children and
Creative Thinking and had developed a new thinking tool, the
Capture System, a cross fertilisation of Creative Thinking
techniques combined with hands on activities, that was successfully
applied in the education sector within the Foundation Stage of the
UK National Curriculum. We felt this was the perfect methodology
we were looking for to transfer: concrete innovative activities for the
development of Creative Thinking and also suitable for the target
groups we wanted to support, primarily artist makers who use their
hands to transform ideas into tangible results but who might be in
crisis due to the challenges of globalisation and the development of
new communication technologies.
The partnership was then completed by Euromed Connect, an
expert in the business sector and Seneca, a vocational training
centre, which gave the necessary expertise to be able to transfer
this product to a wide target audience
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This Manual is the result of two years of intense work that began
with an exploration of the current needs of the applied arts / craft
sector in Italy, UK and Malta and concluded with the transformation
of the Capture System into a Do-It-Yourself Manual, which we hope
will transform the way you implement change, use innovation and
transform challenges.
Angela Martínez-Carrasco
Handmade Creative Thinking Project Coordinator
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The Global Challenge
There can be no doubt that globalisation and
the current economic shifts present evergreater challenges to any business
regardless of its size or type. On the positive
side new technologies also make it easier for
us to offer our products and services throughout the world. The
European Union leads various initiatives to support microbusinesses and SME’s, primarily to enable them to develop
strategies to accommodate global challenges.
In 2010 the European Union launched a scheme committing
€100,000,000 to support the development of the Cultural and
Creative Industries and the crafts sector is one of the beneficiaries
of this scheme. The EU has also launched the INNOVATION
UNION policy document that places INNOVATION at the top of the
Union’s agenda for development.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm
The way products are produced, packaged and marketed needs to
be transformed so that SME’s can stay competitive on a global
scale. Doing business with 20th Century methods in the 21st
Century is no longer an option.
Sustainable change requires innovation; if there is no innovation the
ability to thrive will be more limited in a world that is changing so
rapidly. True innovation begins with taking a different perception of
processes, resources and markets; only from this new point of view
will it be possible to change how we do business.
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Continuing Learning
Developing the ability to innovate can be stimulated and enhanced
through learning or training process, developing this skill can put
you in a position to be several steps ahead of your customers and
competitors enabling you to provide more cutting edge products and
ideas.
Due to the need to encourage innovation, the Vocational Education
and Training (VET) sector emerges as a key factor in developing
new methods and approaches to the teaching of Creative Thinking.
The ability to apply and develop innovation skills needs the support
of a learning infrastructure, which VET practitioners are best placed
to provide.
Creativity is at the basis of innovation and innovation is a support
for the growth of small enterprises, then it is paramount that
Creative Thinking is embedded in any training programme.
VET Practitioners will also have a crucial role to play by
championing and empowering all participants to learn Creative
Thinking and use these skills in developing their ideas, products
and business opportunities.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain
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Manual Change
This manual and its accompanying activities
are designed to develop Creative Thinking as
a skill and to help you to apply it in the daily
running of your business, craft & arts practice
and for you personally.
We hope that this manual will inspire you and
give you the momentum and inspiration to look for more techniques
to keep learning and moving forward.
This manual has been developed to make it accessible and easy to
use because we want you to try out some of the thinking activities
that we have developed. The activities will enable you to start to
make space for Creative Thinking when you want to solve a
problem, need to overcome challenges or when you want to
develop something new and innovative.
In essence this manual will act as a framework to support you in
facing and overcoming your challenges, in the process turning them
into opportunities.
This Manual And Its Related Activities
In this manual we are primarily concerned with Creative Thinking, a
fundamental skill that is generally lacking in society and often
misunderstood. Many of us think Creative Thinking could be
important for us, we just aren’t quite clear what it is and how it can
help us.
For Creative Thinking to flourish certain conditions must be in place,
once you become aware of the processes and what you need to do,
and then Creative Thinking can be simple, powerful and effective.
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Applying Creative Thinking
At the base of every new product there is idea generation and at the
core of every idea is Creative Thinking. Most of us are born with the
capacity to think creatively, paradoxically this method of thinking is
in conflict with our other ways of thinking, namely logical, critical
and analytical thinking. The challenge is to learn how to switch our
thinking processes towards applying Creative Thinking within many
aspects of our daily life and work.
The generation of new ideas is at the basis of innovation - without
the creation of new ideas, we cannot innovate anything.
In business one of the common limiting factors for the generation of
new ideas is the concept that any idea I have will need to be
successful. Generally only 2 out of 10 ideas actually make it to
market. This means that one of the challenges we face is the need
to develop a creative culture within our businesses, not just in our
core skills but even our business skills. Producing a very interesting
and exciting product is only one part of the story.
Increasingly we are being challenged to become more competitive
which means that we have to change the way we produce our
products, the way we package our products and even the way we
market our products. Doing business as we did yesterday is no
longer feasible and sustainable.
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Thinking Facts
Usually when we have an issue or problem to solve
we are often overwhelmed with all the aspects. This
state can easily get in the way of clear thinking! If we
can separate out all of the thoughts and emotions
and deal with them in an organised way, then what
we are left with is space to use creativity in the
thinking process.
When we use Creative Thinking tools they enable us to escape the
barriers of how we usually solve a problem and think, they allow us
to generate lots of ideas and help us to get ready to take effective
action.
How Do We Think?
When we are thinking we generally use critical or Creative Thinking.
They are the two most basic methods of solving problems. Critical
Thinking is a matter of thinking clearly and rationally. Creative
Thinking usually consists of coming up with new and original ideas.
To be a good and effective thinker, the ability to apply both kinds of
thinking is essential. During our formal education most of us have
all been taught how to apply Critical Thinking, very few of us have
ever been taught how to apply Creative Thinking.
Creative Thinking is
Critical Thinking is
• Generative
• Analytical
• Non-judgmental
• Judgmental
• Expansive
• Selective
• Possibility
• Probability
• Right brain
• Left brain
• Yes and..
• Yes but..
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To Put It Simply
When you think creatively you are exploring many new ideas.
When you are thinking critically you are making choices.
Am I a Creative Thinker?
Many of us believe we are not Creative Thinkers; you might ask
yourself 'Am I a Creative Thinker?' and have very little
understanding of what it means and feel a lack of confidence and
skills to apply it.
You might be creative in making something but that ability doesn’t
necessarily transfer when you need to solve a problem.
We believe that everyone has Creative Thinking potential; in fact
98% of us are born with it.
Think of the thinking process as a kayak
with 2 paddles. One paddle represents
Creative Thinking while the other
represents critical thinking. If you were to
only use one paddle (i.e., critical thinking),
you’d end up going in circles. To make the
kayak move forward, you’ve got to
alternate between paddles.
Eric D Brown
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Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited to all we now know and
understand, while imagination embraces the
entire world, and all there ever will be to know
and understand.
Sir Ken Robinson
As children we all used our imagination to create new worlds and
transform ordinary, everyday things into something extraordinary.
This kind of applied imagination is still possible for adults; many of
us have just forgotten how to do it. It’s the main technique we need
to remember when we want to think creatively.
As you go through this manual we would like you to start to ask
different kinds of questions that will help you to open up your
thinking, so let’s start with changing the one above;
Am I a
Creative
Thinker?
SHIFT
YOUR
THINKING
HOW Am I
a Creative
Thinker?
If we change one word it can transform the question into a more
open-ended query.
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Creative Thinking Techniques
Creative Thinking techniques are processes by which we focus
attention, escape the confines of the current situation and generate
connections to keep the mind moving. Fundamentally it is a change
in direction in your thinking and the generation of new ideas.
Children do this naturally but many adults find this process difficult
and challenging. Changing old habits is a key factor to being able to
think creatively.
What are the benefits of using Creative Thinking
techniques?
When you can master Creative Thinking it is incredibly powerful. In
the current socio-economic climate, it is important that we have the
capacity to solve problems and keep one step ahead. With the use
of Creative Thinking this is possible. It is a fundamental steppingstone to the generation of new ideas as well as problem solving and
can be applied to many areas and different situations. It enables
you to be flexible and innovative.
What are the personal benefits of using Creative
Thinking techniques?
They are self-empowering and enable you to overcome challenges
quickly and effectively; they can shake you out of your comfort zone
and support you when dealing with issues.
Overcoming obstacles is incredibly rewarding and in doing so you
can prove to yourself that you are capable of achieving SUCCESS.
Creative Thinking can also be a powerful tool for innovation and can
help you with developing new ideas or moving existing ideas
forward.
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Why don’t we use Creative Thinking to solve
problems?
A problem is here!
The usual ‘knee jerk’ reaction to a problem is often
a bigger problem than the initial problem itself. We
typically avoid or ignore difficult situations until it's
too late to manage them effectively. This is primarily
because we have never learned or been taught the
most effective emotional, psychological, and practical responses.
Problems can be seen as opportunities; look at them as challenges
in order to shift things. Just changing the word ‘problem’ to the word
‘challenge’ is a powerful mental shift.
PROBLEM
SHIFT YOUR
THINKING
CHALLENGE
What is the definition of a ‘problem’?
It is very simple, it’s having the insight and skills to recognise that
there is something better than the current situation.
It can't be done, so why should I bother?
This kind of resigned attitude is, in effect, surrendering before the
battle has begun. Usually based on past experience we assume
that something can’t be done or a problem cannot be solved. In
doing this we give the problem more power and strength than it had
previously. If we give up before we start, it then becomes selffulfilling, ‘I knew that would happen, so why should I try.’
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Sceptics assume something can’t be done, we can’t visit other
planets, we’ll never solve global warming, there is no cure for
cancer etc. All we need to do is look at a problem differently, see it
as a challenge and then an opportunity, and then we can begin to
achieve the impossible. Think about it, we went to the moon, we
invented penicillin, and we stopped people dying of malaria. All
things people said couldn’t be done.
The difficult we do
immediately; the impossible
takes a little longer.
Anon
I just can't do it!
We are conditioned to think that we can’t solve our own problems,
because we think we are not:
(a) Clever enough
(b) A specialist
(c) A genius
Being aware of caution and risk is a valuable thing but it shouldn’t
dominate our thinking and make us immobile.
This kind of thinking in the right place is valuable but done in
isolation and repeatedly is destructive and can stop us from moving
forward in a positive pro-active way.
It Can't Be
Done!
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SHIFT
YOUR
THINKING
How Can
It Be
Done?
Learning Styles
To learn anything fast and effectively, you
have to see it, hear it and feel it.
Tony Stockwell
What’s yours?
At the beginning of the manual we asked how are you creative?
We all have different learning styles; these are the methods we use
to learn something and are visible from when we are children. Rita
and Kenneth Dunn developed the concept of learning styles in the
late 1970s. When you see what yours is it will be an indicator about
how you tend to think. Understanding this will point you in the right
direction and then you can decide what thinking tools are best
suited to you.
There is a traditional saying in the UK, “If all you have is a hammer,
all problems look like nails”
Creative thinking is about picking the right thinking tool for the job.
Understanding about how you learn is a good place to start.
There are 3 basic learning styles:
Visual
Verbal
Kinaesthetic
They can influence how we understand, retain and recall new
information.
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Visual Learners
Visual learners can quickly understand and retain information that
they see. They learn best when they can physically see information.
If you like a flow chart, diagram, picture, PowerPoint presentation,
demonstration, mind map, graph or film then this is your style!
Characteristics of Visual Learners
• Have the tendency to doodle whilst thinking
• Like to code and organize material and information and write
things down
• Can quickly remember faces, people, places and directions
• Often think in pictures
Verbal Learners
Verbal learners are also referred to as auditory learners and prefer
to learn things from another person telling them or by listening to
instructions in for example, a lecture. Verbal learners have the
tendency to read out loud, repeat information and ask a variety of
questions for clarification. They like to talk things through.
Characteristics of Verbal Learners
• Prefer to work in groups in order to share and discuss ideas
• Enjoy listening to others and asking questions
• Can quickly and easily remember names and song lyrics
Kinaesthetic Learners
Kinaesthetic learners prefer to learn through experience and handson activities. They are the learning by doing group. They are tactile
individuals who prefer to have something in their hands when
learning anything new.
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Characteristics of Kinaesthetic Learners
• Have the tendency to fidget, click a pen, tap their feet or
doodle on paper.
• Prefer to learn new material in short blocks of time and will
often take short breaks during any process.
• Like to explore physical objects to learn
• Can quickly assemble items without using a diagram or written
instructions
You might find that you learn in a specific style, it is good to know
and understand that we all learn in a different way and that you can
tailor your thinking to suit your learning style.
If you want to see what your learning style is, try this
online test (in English).
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/
Look at this website, (in English). See what your brain
does when you’re thinking!
http://www.g2conline.org/#Thinking
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Multiple Intelligences
This is a system of understanding and describing the concept of
intelligence. Howard Gardner developed it in 1983. The theory is
that there are a wide variety of cognitive abilities and that
intelligence cannot be narrowly defined.
The Multiple Intelligences are
• Spatial / Picture Smart
• Linguistic / Word Smart
• Logical mathematical / Number Smart
• Bodily kinaesthetic / Body smart
• Musical / Music Smart
• Interpersonal / People Smart
• Intrapersonal / Myself Smart
• Naturalistic / Nature Smart
It’s not how smart you
are, but how you are
smart.
David Brooke
Go here to take a test and see what you are, it’s
fascinating! (In English)
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multi
ple_int/questions/questions.cfm
What Can This Manual Do For You?
If you apply the techniques found within this manual and keep on
using them you can develop the ability to solve problems quickly,
effectively and innovatively.
The basic techniques in the manual and the accompanying modules
can be applied to a variety of situations, they are easy to adapt and
are transferable to other areas.
Those working in Creative Industries, Vocational Educational
Trainers, Apprentices and Students can all gain valuable,
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transversal skills when they learn how to apply Creative Thinking.
For those working or managing a small and medium enterprise
(SME’s) these skills will enable you to move forward, support you in
the core areas of your business and will contribute in your ability to
innovate.
If you are studying or teaching a traditional craft or skill Creative
Thinking can help you to develop new ideas, organise your time
and be more thoughtful with your resources.
You will be able to deal with complex situations in a more
considered way, problem solve, develop awareness and gain selfconfidence.
Got an issue with cash flow?
Use Creative Thinking!
Got a creative block with designing a product?
Got a challenge with marketing?
Got a challenge coming up with ideas?
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What Makes This Manual Different?
If you look on the web for Creative Thinking techniques it can be
overwhelming and complex. This manual and its activities are
simple to use and will give you significant results in a relatively short
space of time, it is user friendly and has been designed for easy
access. In addition, the activities are presented in manageable
sections that you can follow at your own pace.
Although Creative Thinking is a vast subject, we have made sure
that all the essential facts are there in one document. We have also
developed a series of hands-on activities that you can try out by
yourself or with friends.
Let's Make A Creative Thinking Tool!
You can find out more information on the web about Creative
Thinking. Here are some great websites that we think are useful.
http://www.edwdebono.com/
http://lateralaction.com/
http://www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/home
http://www.g2conline.org/
Many people face challenges when trying to apply Creative
Thinking, even if they use creativity in other areas of their work and
life. In order to help and support anyone wanting to develop
innovative solutions and problem solving, we have decided to make
a new Creative Thinking Tool.
So what exactly is a Thinking Tool? Here are a few suggestions,
many will be familiar to you but you probably didn’t realise they are
Thinking Tools!
• Questionnaires and evaluation forms
• Questions that inspire and lead to solutions
• Books and manuals
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•
•
•
•
Conferences, seminars and workshops
Mind maps, spreadsheets and databases
Lists, Checklists
Instruction videos, Youtube, webinars
How can we define a thinking tool? It’s anything that can help you
generate ideas, organise your thinking and enable you to move
ideas forward.
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The Capture System© A Transfer of Innovation
To help you to start to apply Creative Thinking techniques in your
daily life we decided to develop this manual and activities, they are
adapted from an existing thinking tool called The Capture System©.
What Is The Capture System©?
The Capture System© is a thinking tool used in the Education sector
in the UK, developed by Capture Arts and Creative Projects in
London. Capture Arts develop specific creative activities and use
thinking tools to focus attention, escape the normal ways of thinking
and keep the brain moving, exploring and making connections The
Capture System© combines Creative Thinking techniques with
hands on creative activities.
The Capture System© follows the same principles regardless of
what context it is being used in. We have transferred the basic
principles of The Capture System© to the worksheet activities that
accompany this manual.
The main principles of The Capture System© are:
• Create the right environment
• Use of language, what questions do you ask yourself?
• Gather all the information first
• Thinking time
• How do you query and explore?
• Experiment/Evaluate
The Main Principles Of The Capture System©
1. Create The Right Environment
We believe that creating the right environment to think is very
important and it is a key component in The Capture System©.
Something as simple as clearing a space at a table or desk and
putting a piece of clean white paper down to work on, turning off
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your phone and computer, even sitting under a tree outside with a
notebook can help you to create the right environment.
It is very important to escape your current patterns and not just
mentally, a physical escape is really beneficial in enabling us to
think differently. So, for effective thinking to occur the environment
in which you query and explore an issue or problem is key and both
the physical and mental environment has to ‘feel’ right.
Module 1 / Exercise 1 focuses on creating the right
environment to think.
2. Use Of Language; What Questions Do You Ask
Yourself?
Language can either open the creative floodgate (“What could this
be?”) or close it (“What is it?”). Asking the right questions can help
us focus our attention. At Capture we use very specific ‘open ended’
language that keeps the mind moving, the ability to keep making
and creating mental connections is key to successful Creative
Thinking. Very often we use closed language when trying to
overcome challenges and solve problems and the brain is
programmed to use existing patterns and methods, which we have
been taught from a very early age. With Creative Thinking we need
to re train the brain to be more adaptable and open, these
techniques are cumulative and a person gets better and better over
time.
Module 1 / Exercise 3 is an exercise on the use of
language
3. Gather All The Information First
If you have a problem or an issue to solve gathering all
the facts and data at the beginning of any process is a
clear way to begin, imagine you are a computer just
gathering facts and data, non-emotional, machine like. It
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can be very difficult to make decisions if you don’t have all the
important information to hand.
Module 2 / Exercise 1 will help you to gather all the
information first
4. Thinking Time
Don’t rush. Thinking time is a key component. Just a few
minutes clear time for thinking before we embark on a task
can be very beneficial to the process. Even if we don’t
think it is very important, we don’t often give ourselves this
mental space. Both the physical and emotional space
must be right to practice thinking.
Setting aside a specific time and space for thinking is also a good
idea. For example, I am going to work on my new idea at 2pm on
Thursday in my workshop.
Module 1 / Exercise 2 and Module 2 / Exercise 2 both
give you tips on how to allocate time to think.
5. How Do You Query And Explore?
Another key component of The Capture System© methodology is a
term we call Thinking with Objects, this is thinking with your hands
and using objects or materials. This can also include everyday
objects and can even be a product you make or wish to reinvent.
Sometimes thinking is not enough and we need to apply it to
something in the physical, this we could term applied Creative
Thinking. Those who make art works or products, very often think
with their hands and it is a format that is familiar to them. At Capture
we believe it is very important to ‘play with your problem’.
We have seen a visible link between the use of objects, often-
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random ones, and materials that have no defined function. Objects
can take on any meaning we give them. E.g.: a plastic red ring can
trigger different associations, due to the sensory quality of the
object, this can turn it into a circus Ferris Wheel, a bracelet, a fire
etc. when used in combination with the task at hand it can aid free
association. All the Capture exercises use random materials and
objects combined with Creative Thinking techniques.
Creative thinking is not enough; when it’s combined with a sensory
action it heightens the possibility for creative action and lateral and
divergent thinking to occur. The sensation of loosing yourself in a
hands-on activity is a key factor in what we do
Module 1 / Exercise 4 and Module 2 / Exercises 5 and 6
give you ideas about how to think with objects.
6. Experiment/Evaluate
Try things out, do it differently. If we don’t give things a go we will
never learn, if something doesn’t work as we expected that's fine, at
least we tried it out and we have learnt something.
Always evaluate in an open and honest way and try not to let your
ego influence you too much! The only way we move ideas forward
is to look at something and see what works and what doesn’t. Keep
the things that do work but don’t keep repeating the things that
don’t. Objective evaluation is very important.
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Creative Thinking For Business
In a small business Creative Thinking can help and support you in
many areas, once you start to use Creative Thinking it can be
applied in different ways to a wide variety of areas, issues and
problems. Here are some suggestions.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Enhanced problem solving for your business
Overcoming mental blocks
Being more resourceful with your business and products
Have a more efficient use of resources
Spreading your net out further
Broadening your scope and vision
Sustaining the environment for Creative Thinking
Your business relies upon passion - your
passion for your products and service. For
it is your passion that will sustain you over
the long haul.
Greg Arnet
There are some fundamental business areas that Creative Thinking
can be very effective in.
Core Skills
These are the skills you use when you make a product. If for
example you are a ceramicist then the skills you use when making
your pottery are your core skills. Creative Thinking can help you reimagine, re-invent and keep on developing designs and products.
Business Skills
These are some of the fundamental skills that are needed when
developing and running a business.
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Marketing and sales
• Product development
• Business development
• Management of resources.
Using Creative Thinking can help maintain them effectively.
Support Skills
These are the general skills, which support the overall activity of a
small enterprise or business
• Negotiation skills
• Influencing skills
• Communication skills
They are important and Creative Thinking can help you overcome
any mental blocks or obstacles you might have in relation to them.
Now let’s look at the business skills in more detail, as these are
the most fundamental skills that are needed.
Marketing & Sales
Most craftspeople, artist makers and SME’s encounter
challenges in these areas and it is always good for any
small enterprise to look for new markets and
opportunities to continue to grow and expand, Creative
Thinking can help in many ways. For example, when
cold calling, a company was having very little success.
The sales department sat down and analysed the way in which they
had been working. They came up with a creative alternative – call
the difficult leads first. This way, by the time you get to the easier
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leads, you will have practiced your sales pitch and encountered and
dealt with all sorts of resistance first!
• Enable the craftsperson to look beyond the boundaries of the
current market
• Challenge the usual methods of marketing
• Discover new creative ways of getting products and services to
the local, national and global markets.
Product Development
Many artist makers get locked into a particular product and over
time, especially if that particular item is popular, find it difficult to
move beyond it. They face challenges in terms of how to develop
their product or how to develop a range of products, which are
perhaps complimentary to each other. Sometimes it is difficult to
change some basic elements for example, how can the packaging
be enhanced or how can technology be used or incorporated in the
product.
Business development
The primary objective of any craft business is to generate business
through the products that they produce. Creative Thinking can help
to develop and enhance a business by looking at, for example
•
•
•
•
•
36
New market opportunities.
Use of the internet for business
Expanding a product range
Re-thinking the production processes
Using new design technology
Management Of Resources
By shifting the perspective of working with specific materials and
resources and applying Creative Thinking to re inventing what is
already used, a craftsperson can open up new opportunities in how
they manage what they have, especially optimising limited or very
specific resources.
For example:
• Using existing materials in a different way
• Using new materials with the original product design
• Redesigning product shapes and sizes etc.
If you can apply Creative Thinking techniques across all areas of
your business they can help you to stay one step ahead, utilize
what you have already and move forward in a measured, confident
way.
Make your product easier to buy than your
competition, or you will find your
customers buying from them, not you.
Mark Cuban
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Creative Thinking For Apprentices, Students
& VET Tutors
During the production of this manual
we have taken into account the needs
of VET tutors and trainers and this
manual can be easily adapted and
used as a teaching aid. If you are
reading the hard copy of this Manual,
note that you can freely download the
Modules and use the worksheets for
yourself
and
your
students:
www.handmadecreativethinking.eu
If you are a VET trainer using Creative Thinking tools can enable
you to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Be more engaged with students
Have more powerful results
Develop effective teaching methods
Become time efficient
Help your students become self-reliant and more capable
Create an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation
And for apprentices and students you could:
•
•
•
•
•
Realise fully your potential
Focus your attention
Sustain your creative environment
Be an effective problem solver
Develop an achievable vision for your future
If Creative Thinking is nurtured and developed during the early
stages of a person training for their career, it will make it easier to
keep using these techniques in the future. Giving someone a
Creative Thinking injection mid way through there business or
38
working life can be harder than developing the ability for thinking
during an apprenticeship or when studying.
Having the ability for Creative Thinking is cumulative, the more you
practice the better you get, the better you get the more you
innovate.
Make yourself some space and relax, get a cup of tea and go to
Module 1, How Do You Think?
39
40
HCT Modules Overview
How to use Creative Thinking in Action
Introduction
The purpose of these modules is to introduce you to different
techniques and methods that will help you to apply Creative
Thinking.
These techniques are self-evaluating and will guide you through all
aspects of exploring an issue and help you to come up with
solutions and new ideas. Primarily they will enable you to organise
your thinking in a clear and manageable way. As these techniques
are transferable they can help you with your personal life, your
business, your career or with your studies.
Each module starts with a general introduction and then a selection
of activities you can try out for yourself or in small groups. There are
also useful tips for trainers and apprentices throughout the modules.
The modules are in two parts:
The first module, How do you think? Looks at the basics of Creative
Thinking. There are a range of activities you can try out. Also
included are thoughts, tips and ideas.
Next is also a section called making Learning stick, here you will
find interesting tips about maintaining techniques and new methods
of learning.
The second module, Applying Creative Thinking, pinpoints more
thoroughly some techniques for you to try out and apply. It includes
a section called Thinking for Business, that is useful for SME’s.
Give the activities a go and overall have fun!
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Sensory Learning
Sensory Learning involves our senses, not just our brain, it is very
beneficial and effective, therefore we have different types of
activities, use lots of visuals and work hands-on to enhance a multisensory experience.
In the worksheets you will see regular features, which will help you
to remember important aspects. We have selected three symbols to
help you recognise some of the features more easily.
Prepare yourself
A short reminder to prepare your environment for Creative Thinking
will appear alongside some of the exercises. This will get you into
the habit of paying attention to your thinking. As these activities are
aimed at helping you to change your thinking habits, this
preparation is very important, as it will help to lay the groundwork
for your success.
Log It
We encourage you to keep a logbook or diary and write down or
draw your ideas and the evaluations you undertake. It’s a useful
habit to develop as it means you will find everything in one place
and it will help you to see your progress.
TIP!
Throughout the worksheets are tips and hints to help you, also
included are tips for trainers and apprentices to enable you to apply
the activities to your teaching and studies.
Hands on activities
Some activities are hands on and you will need to get some
materials before you start, this may seem strange at first but don’t
be put off because these are the activities where you can play and
have fun, even when you are dealing with problems and challenges.
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Module 1: How Do You Think?
In module one you will find simple exercises, playful activities, tips
from others and query questions to help you to discover how you
already think.
In this module we will look at the following
• Creating the right environment
• Finding thinking time
• Using the best language
• Thinking with objects
• How to evaluate and progress
The aims of module one are
• Develop Self Awareness,
• Recognise how you think at the moment
• Clarify your current situation and help you start to generate a
vision for your future
The exercises in this module are most effective if they are carried
out in the order they are presented in, as they build upon each
other.
There is no set time scale for this module, many of the activities are
quick but there are some indications for a proposed length of an
exercise if necessary, but overall do the activities in your own time.
If you are a tutor or trainer, you can combine the exercises in
different sessions with your apprentices. You can also photocopy
and distribute the worksheets, and encourage your participants to
start to think creatively outside the classroom.
Don’t avoid any activities you find challenging, just
have a go!
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1: Creating The Right Environment
How to create the right physical and emotional
environment
We believe that creating the right environment to think is very
important, it could be as simple as clearing a space at a table or
desk and putting a piece of clean white paper down to work on,
turning off your phone and computer, even sitting under a tree with
a notebook, whatever works for you is best.
It is very important to escape current patterns and not just mentally,
a physical escape is really beneficial and sometimes something as
simple as a different environment enables us to do this and enables
us to think differently.
As far as the emotional environment goes, you need to feel relaxed,
not under pressure or stressed. Have you ever gone for a walk
while trying to tackle a problem? Did it help?
The environment for thinking is very important and more often than
not, we don’t consider it when we have a problem to solve, we want
solutions immediately but trying to solve a problem with the phone
ringing, emails to read and other things to do is not necessarily the
most beneficial environment.
You need to create a space for thinking, for our modules you need
to be able to work in this space on a variety of activities we have
developed for you, you will need a clear space for writing down
ideas and doing some practical tasks. If you don't have a lot of desk
space, you could use a large sheet of paper pinned to the wall.
TIP FOR TRAINERS
You can also create the right environment at work with your
colleagues, for example, before a meeting or workshop, suggest
44
swapping places in the room or if possible work outdoors. You will
see how changing perspective stimulates new ideas and creativity!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Where do you think best?
Outside in a park
At home somewhere
On the train, cycling or when moving around
In the bath, under the shower
When looking at visual images e.g. magazines or newspapers
Chatting with friends
Doing something practical like cooking
Over the next few days we want you to be aware of the places you
think the best and remember them. It is a good idea to keep a
logbook and write things down, this is a great method of keeping
track of your thinking, ideas and general creative activity.
Get a book or scrapbook and start writing your
thoughts down.
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2: Thinking Time
Thinking Time
It is important to consciously make time for
thinking. Often when we need to solve a problem
we feel overwhelmed by the amount of
information or want solutions immediately.
Sometimes ideas and solutions come when we
leave a little time, forget about the issue for a
while or when we change our environment by
taking a walk.
TIP
Set a specific time and place for your thinking, for example:
I will contact my web designer on Tuesday at 3pm at
my office.
Changing Thinking Patterns Takes Time
Thinking patterns that we have established throughout our life are
often hard to change instantly, but it is sometimes necessary to
change them in order to move forward. Your brain is set into certain
patterns from a very early age. Some patterns and habits we can
change relatively easily, like changing the route to work, but the
more ingrained patterns take time and effort. For example to
change how you deal with risks will take a bit longer and involve
more effort. It is important to be gentle and patient with yourself if
you want to achieve real change.
How To Change Thinking Patterns
Some of the exercises will encourage you to become more aware of
our thinking patterns, to know when to step back from a issue or
problem and being aware of the spaces we sometimes need to
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solve something. Don’t put yourself under pressure to come up with
solutions immediately.
Are you aware of your thinking patterns?
As a small task on how to become more aware of the way you think,
try to recall the last time you had a problem or issue to deal with,
can you remember your first reactions?
• Did you go into panic mode?
• Did you freeze?
• Did you immediately take action?
• What did you do?
It’s good to be aware of your thinking habits, write your thoughts in
your notebook.
Creativity involves breaking out of established
patterns in order to look at things in a different way.
Dr. Edward de Bono
47
Activity for Trainers
Try this activity with your apprentices to help them recognise and be
aware of their thinking patterns. Write the following questions on
one side of a sheet of paper; make sure you have enough copies to
distribute to the group.
• In which context did I have this discussion?
• Why did I say that?
• What could I have said differently?
Next fold the page in half, hiding the questions.
Give one folded sheet to participants, asking them not to open to it.
Next, ask them to think about the last time they had a difficult
discussion or a heated debate with someone and to write down the
conversation they had.
Then, ask them to swap their written notes with a classmate, who
will open it and ask them the three questions.
Allow each person the opportunity to respond to the questions, give
them at least 10 minutes to reflect on the answers.
The aim of this activity is to raise their awareness of their thinking
patterns when they are in disagreement with someone. This will
help them to understand how they react and how they can improve
their approaches in the future.
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3: The Use Of Language
What questions do you ask?
Language can either open the creative floodgate or close it.
Using ‘open ended’ language keeps the mind moving and
encourages it to make mental connections, which is the key to
successful Creative Thinking. It can be very easy to switch from a
‘closed’ form of questioning to an ‘open ended’ form of questioning,
that allows you to be inventive and creative. For example, when
you ask questions like what else could I use this for? Or what could
I do instead? You can be more expansive in your thinking and come
up with unexpected solutions.
The exercises in the manual around the use of language will
encourage you to look at how you ask questions and explore
issues, how you question yourself and what kind of language you
use.
Let’s try
This example will demonstrate a different way to explore and
question. We will break the thinking down into different areas.
Look at the object in the picture. If you have one near you, get it out
and have a good look at it, take hold of it and then answer the
questions. It is not the most exciting object in the world but we will
make it more interesting by asking the right questions.
You will need your notebook for this activity.
1. What can you tell me about this object, what can you see? Only
think about the facts, what is real and visible. So, for example when
we look at the object in the picture what shape is it? What material
49
is it made from? Now you try and write down a few more examples.
2. Next, ask yourself what is good about this object, what benefits
are there for using it, what is good about it’s design? (Hint: it is great
for heating food in.)
Think of some other benefits and uses just 3 or 4 will do.
3. OK, now what would you have to be careful about with the
cooking pot, what risks are involved when using it? (Hint: the handle
might get hot)
Write down a few more risky things about the
cooking pot.
4. So far we have dealt with the facts, benefits
and risks of the pan and what we have done is
leave some space in our thinking for Creative
Thinking.
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Look at the pan again.
What else could it be? (For example fishing net)
• How could you use it differently? (You could
wear it as a hat)
• How could you make it better? (Add
detachable pieces that could transform it into
a new cooking tool)
• If it was as big as a house what could it be? (For example, a
swimming pool)
• If it was as small as a thimble what could we do with it? (For
example, a cup for a fairy)
Now the craziest ideas are what we want here, anything goes. Don’t
hold yourself back!!
Now imagine applying this technique to an object you design and
make? Imagine being free to re-invent it! You can apply this
technique in more detail to solving a specific issue or problem; we
will try this in Module Two.
Case Study
During the HCT project a group of trainers initially had some
challenges with an activity where they were asked to apply this
technique to a bouncy rubber ball. The facilitator asked them to
think of as many different uses for the object as they could. Initially
the participants were blocked, no ideas were expressed. The
facilitator suggested “the nose of a clown”, “a pillow for a small
creature” but still nothing! Participants could only see a ball and
were afraid to think creatively.
51
The next activity was to continue developing the plot of a film, using
some interesting drawings to inspire them. They gradually started to
free up their thinking and the participants who were completely
blocked with the “ball” activity became the most creative with this
activity and came up with some extraordinary stories!
During the feedback of the session, the facilitator asked if they
thought they could use these activities with their apprentices, one of
the trainers said that she was a little afraid about using it with
younger students as they might become too creative and would not
be able learn things properly. The facilitator responded by asking,
“are you not more worried about making them loose confidence in
their imagination?”
This case study shows that starting to think creatively could be a
challenge for many and by applying Creative Thinking techniques
helps to see beyond the standard educational methods and
recognise the benefits of applying Creative Thinking.
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Hands on thinking
Sometimes Creative Thinking techniques used by themselves are
not enough. We have discovered a benefit for the thinking process
when you use thinking tools but combine it with a sensory or
physical action.
The use of objects or materials that have no defined function can
lead to a specific kind of thinking called ‘Divergent Thinking’*. This
is simply taking your thoughts onto a different route, like driving
through a diversion on the bus.
For this reason objects and materials can be very useful when
practicing thinking, we can assign them new meaning or they can
inspire new ideas. For example a piece of paper could become any
number of things if we use our imagination. So, it could be a magic
carpet, if folded it could be a house, it could be a telescope if rolled
into a tube etc.
Let’s try it.
In this simple exercise we encourage you to take hold of a real
object. Handling a real object can make quite a difference; its
material, texture, colour, size or shape might inspire new ideas.
Imagine you are from another planet. Take an everyday object for
example a cup or a mug. Take hold of it; explore its shape, texture,
etc. Imagine you have never seen this object before.
Now instead of asking yourself the usual question
What is this?
Ask yourself what could this be?
When we change the word ‘is’ to ‘could’ we are opening up our
language for more possibilities.
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Give yourself 2 minutes to think of as many new uses for the cup as
possible.
Write down your thoughts in your notebook.
TIP FOR TRAINERS
Use this ‘Thinking with Objects’ activity with your apprentices or
other trainers, focusing their attention on something they create,
produce or sell. Don’t stop any ideas that materialise, no matter
how absurd they are!
Then, ask the participants to think about what
else the objects, or even the materials or tools,
could be used for. Challenge them to expand
their thinking!
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5a: Find Out What You Need For Craftspeople
Evaluate your current situation
This initial questionnaire is an opportunity to take a closer look at
yourself, your work life and what inspires you.
All participants of the focus group who took part in the research
phase of the HCT project for the development of the manual have
answered these questions. They found it very helpful and gained
some useful insights about themselves. Choose the questionnaire
that best suits you.
Write the answers in your logbook.
Take your time with this, do it over a few sessions if it is too much
for you in one go. Go to one of the next section if you are a trainer
or an apprentice.
Questionnaire
Take as long as you need to do the questionnaire.
What do you enjoy about your work?
• What do you enjoy the most about your work and why?
• What new projects or developments of your work are you
looking forward to?
Self-improvement
• What do you do to keep training and learning to improve your
skills and knowledge?
• Do you attend any courses, workshops or seminars? What
kind?
• Do you use the web to find out information?
• Your customers/clients?
• What do you do to actively attract customers?
• Do customers come to you as a result of other actions? E.g.
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Word of mouth, recommendation
Any worries?
• What at the moment do you think is not working so well and
what do you think are the reasons for this?
• What concerns do you have for the future of your business?
• What do you do when you are unable to resolve a problem or
have a mental block?
• Do you tend to solve your problems alone?
• Who do you talk this kind of problem over with?
• Can you think of a situation that you did something different to
solve a problem?
Anything is possible!
• Do you have a vision or dream for the future, if so what is it?
• If you had a magic wand that could guarantee the success of a
project, what project would you choose to carry out?
How are you creative?
• What does Creative Thinking mean to you? Do you apply it in
your professional and personal life? If yes, how do you apply
it?
• What do you like doing outside of work and why?
• When you were young, what was your favourite game or
activity?
Did you discover anything interesting or useful from your answers?
Sometimes it can be useful to take some time to assess your
current situation. It is also good to remember who inspires you and
why, what can you take from that and apply to yourself right now.
Does it help you to remember your aspirations?
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5b. Find Out What You Need For Apprentices/Students
This Questionnaire is for those of you studying or following an
apprenticeship in Creative Industries. It will give you an overview of
where you are now, whether you are going in the right direction and
help you to clarify how you envision your future.
Write the answers in your notebook.
for you in one go.
Look at your current situation in detail
What do you enjoy about your apprenticeship/studies?
• What do you enjoy most about your studies and why?
• What modules or lessons are you looking forward to?
Any worries?
• What worries you the most for the future and your career?
• What do you do when you are unable to resolve a problem or
have a mental block
• Do you tend to solve problems alone?
• Do you talk this kind of problem over with someone else?
solve a problem?
• Do you have a vision or dream for your future, if so, what is it?
57
project or an idea, what would you choose do?
• What have you observed about the following?
◦ Your level of self-confidence
◦ Your motivation
◦ The kind of problems you find difficult to solve
• What do you like doing in your free time?
it?
• When you were younger, what was your favourite game or
activity?
• Do you still do any of these playful activities now? What ones?
• Did you have a favourite teacher? Why did you like them?
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5c. Find Out What You Need For VET Tutors
This Questionnaire is for you if you are a VET tutor and work with
apprentices and people who are training for a career in Creative
Industries. It will give you an overview of where you are now, clarify
you motivation and inspire your vision.
Write the answers in your notebook.
for you in one go.
Look at yourself as a tutor in more detail
• What do you do to keep training and learning to improve your
skills?
• What aids /resources do you use to keep your knowledge
updated? Journals, books, the Internet, refresher courses, on
line courses?
• How much time do you normally dedicate to training and
learning aimed at your own improvement per month?
What do you enjoy about being a tutor?
• What do you enjoy most about your work and why?
• What new projects or developments at work are you looking
forward to?
Any worries?
• What worries you the most for the future and your career?
• What do you usually do when you are unable to resolve a
problem or have a mental block?
59
solve a problem?
• Do you have a vision or dream for the future, if so what is it?
project, what project would you choose to carry out?
What have you observed about your trainees/students?
• What have you observed about the following?
◦ Their level of self-confidence
◦ Their motivation
◦ The things, ideas and people that inspire them
◦ The kind of things they find difficult to solve
• What do they like doing in their free time?
• Since you became a tutor have you noticed any changes in
your students and their level of engagement, commitment etc.
it?
• What do you like doing outside of work and why?
• When you were young, what was your favourite game or
activity?
• As an adult do you still do any of these playful activities?
• Did you have a favourite teacher? Why?
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Making Learning Stick
Aim
The aim of this part of the HCT document is to help you to reflect
upon and consolidate all the things you have learned, both
theoretical and practical, about Creative Thinking. It can sometimes
be quite a challenge to apply something you have learned or
studied into a real situation. In this document are some handy hints
and tips to help you make your learning stick!
Reduce That Text!
Reducing the amount of text we have to read through and re-read
through also reduces the amount of time we need to spend doing it!
A large proportion of text is actually unnecessary in that it
communicates very little extra meaning. Therefore, when you write
your notes try to avoid using words that do not add value
(pronouns, articles, auxiliary verbs etc).
TIP
You can also try the technique of summarizing the concepts in
a sentence no longer than 25 words. With practice it’s possible
to summarize some very complex ideas!
Open Doors With Key Words
Key words can often help us to retrieve information in that they are
able to spark off a whole series of connections in our brains – when
combined with other memory aids, they become extremely useful.
For example, if I remember a key word and know that I need to be
able to say five things about it, I will probably be able to describe
everything without having to refer to notes.
When you first start taking notes in the form of key words rather
than phrases or sentences, you will probably feel a bit insecure –
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don’t worry this is normal. You may forget one or two details at first,
but you will soon get used to this method. Any time that you may
lose at the beginning will be made up for in the future by reducing
time for note-taking and reviewing.
Make Mind Maps®
Mind Maps® are a learning tool created by Tony Buzan,
www.buzan.com they are a great way of summarizing knowledge
and have a number of advantages over traditional note-taking.
These include:
• Text limited to key words
• Text distributed horizontally and vertically
• Use of colours aids memory
• Possibility to include diagrams to aid visual memory
• Flexible – easy to add in new information
To find out more about how best to use Mind Maps®, try consulting
the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map or run a web
search.
If you know how to use them but tend not to, ask yourself, ‘Why?’
and try to overcome any obstacles which may be in your way.
There are also a number of Open source applications (free software
on the web) available to help you mindmap digitally – try looking
them up at http://sourceforge.net/
Everything Can Be Retrieved
Simply put, retrieval is a process of accessing stored memories.
There are four basic ways in which information can be retrieved
from our long-term memories.
Recall: the ability to access information without being prompted.
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E.g. answering correctly a spontaneous question.
Recollection: the ability to reconstruct memory, using logical
structures, partial memories, narratives or clues, a bit like piecing a
jigsaw together.
Recognition: This type of memory retrieval involves identifying
information after experiencing it again.
Relearning: involves relearning information that has been
previously learned, thus making it easier to remember and retrieve
information in the future.
Problems With Retrieval
We’ve all had that tip of the tongue experience – we know the
information is there but something prevents us from accessing it.
Don’t worry, research has shown that this is quite normal. However,
to improve our retrieval we need to work on making the connections
as strong as possible.
Smashin’ Scope
Have you ever wondered why we remember some things more
easily than others? There are many different possible reasons why
something is important for us and we can play with these reasons to
help our memories make things as retrievable as possible. One
such technique is to create a strong image and/or association with
the idea that you want to remember. The type of image we can
create should be based upon the following factors, all of which are
great aids to memory:
Synaesthesia and Sensuality: Use all your senses and be
aware of your body’s position.
Movement: It’s often easier to remember a scene from a film
rather than a still image – make your image move.
Association: What you are trying to remember should be
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associated with something you already know.
Sexuality: We all have a good memory when it comes to sex, so
use it!
Humour: The more ridiculous and funny, the easier it is to
remember.
Imagination: Let yours run wild!
Number: Numbering things and counting them will help
enormously.
Symbolism: Makes things more interesting and create more
connections in your brain.
Colour: Use all the colours to colour your image.
Order or sequence: When you memorise a sequence, your
brain follows it by taking you through the logical steps.
Positive: Make your images positive and pleasant. Better to
remember happy things.
Exaggeration: As far as possible, exaggerate your images.
For more about smashin’ scope look here
www.buzan.com.au/learning/smashinscope.pdf
Memory And Mnemonics
Mnemonics are memory tools that rely on associations between
easy-to-remember constructs that can be related back to the data
that is to be remembered. We are all familiar with common
mnemonics which we learned at school, here is an English one,
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, for the colours of the
rainbow, perhaps we don’t use them enough for our own personal
study. As you come across items you would like to remember try
creating a rhyme or useful acronym to help you remember them –
it’s worth the small investment of time.
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Review 24/7
To study without reviewing is a pastime rather than a constructive
activity. Mental connections in our brains need to be created and
maintained. Some theories say that we never actually forget
anything; we simply become incapable of retrieving the information!
For this reason it is a good idea to regularly review the things we
have studied. Try using the review 24/7/1 technique:
When you have studied something and made some notes about the
key issues, review the notes 24 hours later. Review them again 7
days later and again 1 month after the first study session. This
regular review combined with effective study techniques should
make the information much more retrievable.
Make It Visible
The expression, ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ is fine if you want to
forget something, but the exact opposite is true if we want to
remember something and this is particularly true in the digital age
when things are ‘hidden’ on our hard drives! Here are a few tips to
help make what you want to learn more visible:
• Stick your notes & Mind Maps® on the wall – the bathroom is a
good place!
• Make study cards that you keep in your pocket – you can then
read them on the bus!
• Keep a notebook with all your notes on the theme of Creative
Thinking. Make it as attractive as possible and keep it in your
bag.
If your notes are in digital format, create a screensaver with them;
try this application from one of the HCT focus group:
65
www.myideasbook.com
Getting Into Habits
We all develop study habits when we are at school and then
continue this for the rest of our lives. Some of these habits work and
some do not work. Whether a habit is good or bad, most of us have
difficulty in changing them. In addition a general tendency to give up
on new ideas and techniques as soon as we encounter the first
obstacle, can make it difficult for us to change our learning habits.
If you want to get rid of a bad habit or introduce a good one try to
write down your resolution on a piece of paper and keep it in a
visible place. When you write it, remember to say why it is important
to you (save time, be more efficient etc). Every time that you feel
yourself slipping back into the old habit or not trying out the new
technique, stop and remind yourself of your original aim.
The Right Mood
Study plans are great as they give us a structure in which we can
take action and set ourselves achievable goals for the time that we
have available to us. To make the plan work we need to be selfdisciplined. If for whatever reason, stress, tiredness, worries etc.
means we are not in the right mood for studying or learning we
should not blindly press on. Stop and ask yourselves the following
questions:
• Do I need to study today? If no, take a break, but remember to
revise your study plan.
• If yes, is there anything I can do to make the studying more
enjoyable? If no, take a break, but use a bit more imagination
next time!
• If yes, do it and enjoy your studies!
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Remember a good study plan needs to build in elements of
flexibility
The Dangers Of Multi Tasking
We’ve all heard about it and we are all under pressure to be good at
it but recent studies are revealing that we very rarely multitask; we
actually switch tasks in rapid succession. This switching has high
costs for most people – mental set-up time, lack of memory
regarding tasks carried out, mistakes made etc.
When you want to do some serious studying or learning why not sit
down and switch the phone off? If you use your pc, switch off your
e-mail and don’t log in to your accounts. Concentrate on what you
want to study, enjoy it and learn it!
Study Buddy
When we start of on a new course of study, be it formal or informal,
we usually have a high level of motivation. This motivation will
usually fade away over a period of weeks or perhaps even months
when we follow a normal classroom based method of study.
However, when we move into the realms of self-access study, most
people find that their motivation falls off very quickly.
If you are in this category get yourself a ‘study buddy’! This doesn’t
necessarily have to be someone who studies the same things as
you, though it is important that they know that you are studying and
that at times you will need to go to them for advice and
encouragement and to talk
about your achievements. You should also give them permission to
check up on you and make sure that you are actually following your
study plan. If you can’t find a buddy, try to find one online.
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Module 2: Applying Creative Thinking
In Module Two you’ll find more in-depth exercises, tips from others
and questions to help you to discover how to move your thinking
forward whether you run a small business or have just started an
apprenticeship, you’ll find something useful here.
In this module we will look at the following
• Thinking in an organised way
• Taking the first step
• Finding inspiration
• Meeting Others
• Thinking with objects
• Playing with your problems
• Moving thinking forwards
• Creative Thinking for Business
The aims of module two are
• Develop confidence in using Creative Thinking
• Applying Creative Thinking in your profession, business or
studies
The exercises don’t need to be done in any specific order, start with
the one that you find most useful for your situation; we do
recommend that you try all of them.
Where necessary we suggest a time limit for an exercise, or you
can do them at your own pace.
Now that you have worked through the activities in Module One,
you should be more aware of how you usually solve problems and
how you think. We have looked at how to create the right
environment, how to ask open questions, organise your thinking
etc. The activities in this module will help you to apply and develop
these techniques.
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1: Thinking In An Organised Way
In this activity we are going to look at the technique we used
previously in Module One/worksheet 3: Explore An Object, in the
first exercise the object we explored was a cooking pot. This time
we are going to apply the same technique of structured thinking to
explore an issue or challenge that you might be experiencing in
your profession, apprenticeship or trade/craft.
Here are some challenges that might sound familiar
• I don’t have enough time
• How do I compete in a global market
• I don’t earn enough money relative to the amount of work I do
• I might be made redundant at my college/educational setting
• I can’t motivate myself to study
• My overheads eat into my profit
On the following page you will find a sample questionnaire from our
recent research of the applied arts sector. We have chosen one
problem that you might have experienced yourself as an example:
Not earning enough money
We will go through the steps of exploring this issue in an organised,
structured way. If you don’t identify with this issue, you can apply
this technique to something more relevant to you.
Prepare yourself
• Make sure you have the environment right, clear your desk,
and even put a piece of plain paper on your desk to define a
working area.
• Switch off your phone (yes, you can!)
• Ignore the email box on your computer (or
even switch it off)
• Put a do not disturb sign on the door
• Relax and get a cup of tea!
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How To Explore And Query In A Structured Way
Write your answers in your notebook
The challenge we will explore is:
Not earning enough money
The Facts
1. Lets look at the facts around that first. For
example How much do I earn at present? Do I cover all my costs?
Do I have enough money during my studies? Etc.
Feelings
2. How do you feel about this subject? No long explanations just
one or two words for example, I feel worried, I feel stressed, I feel
insecure etc. You can also feel how the issue makes you feel
physically speaking.
The Benefits
3. Now we are going to look at the benefit of the issue. This is more
difficult, sometimes the benefits are hidden and you need to make
an effort to find one, so think positive here. A possible example
could be, “I don’t waste money on things I don’t really need”
Risk & Caution
4. Next we look at the risks of this issue, are there any negative
consequences or something we need to be careful about. For
example, “I can’t save money to invest in new projects”
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Creative Thinking
5. Now that we have thought about the important aspects of the
problem, the facts, benefits and cautions, we have some space to
have fun and be creative. What can we come up with to solve the
problem? Think of the most daring ideas! Example, “Instead of
working 60 hours a week, I work 55 earn roughly the same and
dedicate 5 hours to developing Creative Thinking!”
Next Steps
6. Inspired? Has your outlook changed about the initial issue? Are
there any ideas you want to take further and put into action? Make
a list of ideas that are possible and explore them further.
Now use this method to explore an issue you are currently facing in
your work, profession or studies/apprenticeship.
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TIP FOR TRAINERS
It might be useful to do this ‘Thinking in an Organised Way’ activity
in a group.
Ask the questions in a structured way, be aware and try to direct
participants so they don’t return to the previous question, allow each
participant to express their ideas; don’t let big personalities take
over!
If it is your first time with this type of activity, prepare some
examples beforehand; try them out first as it will help you to feel
relaxed and confident.
Don’t lose those ideas!
Write down all the ideas the participants have suggested, let them
choose the ideas they want to develop further, remember CRAZY
ideas often lead to interesting solutions!
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2: Taking The First Steps
Taking Action
Being creative as a craft person, artist or inventor does not mean
that you are able to automatically transfer your creativity to other
areas of your profession or life. It might be easy for you to come up
with new ideas when creating a new product but when it comes to
marketing, writing an essay or sorting out your finances you find
these areas difficult and often avoid them!
TIP!
ONE SMALL STEP...
This TIP will help you to get over the first hurdle of taking action.
Use it the next time you avoid starting something that needs to be
done!
Often, just getting started on a task or a job that you find
challenging can be difficult; we tend to avoid these jobs until the last
minute which makes them even more stressful. If you take a small
physical action it can help to break the cycle of not starting or
avoiding a difficult task. The physical action should be something
small, un-challenging like getting the folder you need, looking for at
telephone number of a client etc.
For example, if you are avoiding doing the book–keeping and
accounts:
• Say to yourself ‘I will just get the accounts folder
out of the filing cabinet’, then go, and do it!
Having a manageable deadline can kick-start an action. So give
yourself a time limit for the initial physical action:
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• Say to yourself: ‘I just will spend 5 minutes on this’
Once you start an action, it is easier to keep going.
Where might this work for you?
• Making calls to clients
• Doing coursework
• Researching new markets
• Changing your designs
One more tip regarding TIME
Time yourself when you tackle something you
don’t like doing. Notice how long it takes you
until you get the result you need. Often it takes
less time to actually do something than to keep
on thinking about getting it done. What’s more,
it’s a lot less stressful.
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3: Finding Inspiration
Who Is Your Hero? What Inspires You?
Let’s look at the people and things that inspire you, they
will all have certain characteristics that you value. It could
be a person, for example your grandfather, or even an
invention like the telephone. Thinking about what inspires
you can help you to remember what your own motivations
and aspirations are.
This activity is important as it makes us think about what is
important to us as people. This kind of self reflection can often lead
to renewed vision and resolve when facing difficult challenges.
Think about the people and things that inspire you
Write or draw your thoughts it in your notebook.
Try and answer at least two of the questions and see if you can find
any connections
• Who would you say your role model or hero is? What is it that
you like about them?
• Is there a group or organization you admire? Why?
• Do you have an object or invention you really like? Why is
that?
Have a look at what you have written. Is there a common theme or
word that keeps coming up? Can you make any connections?
If you can then these are values or objectives that you align with,
how can you use this information? Imagine if you used the values
you admire, how would you solve a problem with them? If your
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company has a vision, are these core values included in that vision?
If not, work on including them.
My role model for example is…
My role model is Gareth Edwards - a famous rugby player from the
seventies who despite being extremely skilful was always very
modest.
An organisation I admire are the Barbarians Rugby Club - a club
that has no ground and is virtual. There is no fixed team and people
play upon invitation. They hold true the spirit of the game, play to
the rules, and look to entertain the crowd with nothing but their
prowess.
An object I like is an old Land rover - good, reliable and designed
for a very specific purpose and met all requirements and lasted a
long time.
Common theme – quiet excellence and honour.
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4: Meeting Others
Finding Your Community
Here we would like to point out
the value of being connected to a
community, like-minded people
with similar visions, skills and
challenges to yours, or even
different people. Richard Florida
suggests that a mixture of skills,
vision and talent can very often
lead to a more creative communities. Knowing and connecting with
others can be incredibly inspiring. Being connected locally,
nationally or even internationally via the web can allow you to
contribute to a wider demographic and broaden your vision and
outlook.
Keeping it personal
There might be groups of like-minded people in your local area and
one way of making connections is via your local council or formally
organised craft guilds etc.
Formal groups
Here are some examples for the UK and London:
• Heritage craft association
• Crafts Council England
• Arts and Craft organizations like Cockpit Arts, Metropolitan
Works.
• Magazines or publications like Craft and Design, Artist
Newsletter
Informal groups
• Street of small shop owners
• Café societies
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Your online business community
The Internet is a useful source for finding things out and sharing. It
makes it easy to find the information for all aspect of your life and
work. If you need help with a problem or issue you will find tips from
experienced, generous people and support organisations.
If you are not doing so already, we encourage you to surf the net
and google topics that are of interest to you or can offer solutions to
the challenges that you are facing. This could be general
information on Learning, Marketing, Management or Business
Development. In online forums you can ask other people questions
or share your thoughts. Blogs are a great source of communication
as well.
ONLINE
There are many inspiring websites, which cover creativity and
Creative Thinking that are worth checking out. To make a start
finding useful connections you could:
• Make a list of the kinds of groups and people you like and
would like to be a part of; they might be local, national or
global!
• Choose one or two groups from your list that you really feel
drawn to and would like to know more about, it could be the
ones that are the most relevant at this moment in time.
• Start finding out more! Make a note of what you discover and
any connections you make, you can review your progress on a
regular basis. Are you getting what you expect from your
groups? Are you contributing? What action might be needed
to get the most out of your groups?
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To start you off here are a few websites/blogs we found interesting:
http://greenwood-carving.blogspot.com/2010/01/apprenticeships-intraditional-crafts.html
http://www.lateralaction.com/
http://nicolawood.typepad.co.uk/
http://www.tribe.net
http://www.linkedin.com
http://www.artigianatoartistico.com
http://www.eubusiness.com
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Making new connections
This exercise is a playful way to come up with ideas and can be
used in a variety of areas, for example, to develop new products,
improve designs or manage your resources.
Is it a joke?
Why is a joke funny? There is a story that makes perfect sense until
the punch line takes us in an unexpected direction and makes us
laugh, for example:
What vehicle wobbles and flies? A JELLYCOPTER!
In this exercise we will use two different objects to take our thinking
in an unexpected direction. By themselves the two objects make
complete sense, they have their function, are made from a specific
material and behave in a certain way.
Write or draw your thoughts it in your notebook.
Let’s start
Look at the this picture
Think of as many new ways to reinvent and
redesign the pencil.
The craziest ideas are accepted here!
Give yourself about 3 minutes
On the next page you will find the second part of this exercise.
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Next: Take A Diversion
In the following part of the exercise we use random objects to
increase divergent thinking, so....
Look at this word and picture
MOUSE
Think about the mouse, its size, skin, where it lives, what it does,
how it moves and then come up with more new ideas and functions
for reinventing the pencil.
Give yourself 3 minutes
You can also find funny random words from this web site:
http://watchout4snakes.com/CreativityTools/RandomWord/Random
WordPlus.aspx
Other Ways Of Making New Connections
Here are two more ideas to divert your thinking
• Make static objects move - e.g. combine the
characteristics of a bicycle with the ones of a cup.
• Transfer big to small and vice versa - What would happen if
this thimble, a small object were as big as a house, what could
it be?
Think of a few more!
This might be a good list to have in your notebook for future
reference.
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TIP FOR TRAINERS
Try this exercise in a workshop with other trainers or apprentices.
Use materials that are familiar and that you usually work with and
combine them with random objects or materials.
Try to encourage the participants to think about the objects as if
they had a different scale for example, what if a hammer was the
size of a house?
Looking at the limitless potential of an everyday object can expand
divergent thinking,
“What if” is a great way to query and explore the everyday!
Get your hands on a new idea!
This is another great exercise for when you want to explore new
ideas, for example a design or a product you want to improve.
Maybe you are ready to embark on a new challenge and want to
invent something new or original
Play With New Ideas
If you produce things for a specific market or target group, often you
will need to come up with new products and ideas, or maybe you
want to improve your existing material. This is a useful activity to
spark inspiration.
In this exercise you make or re-invent your existing product by
using a different material. You might discover innovative new ideas
by experimenting or playing with an unfamiliar or unusual material.
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For example if you are a ceramicist, make a product out of:
LEGO
SUGAR CUBES
SAND
FABRIC
Write your thoughts it in your
notebook.
In your notebook write your own list of alternative materials you can
use to re invent your product. Choose one of the materials and reinvent your product in 2d or 3d.
• Think about your product or design.
• Write down as many different materials you could use to re
invent your product or design.
• Which of these materials inspires you to remake your Product
or design?
• Choose one and have a go!!
TIP Do this activity with a child as your buddy!
TIP FOR TRAINERS
Use this activity with your colleagues or apprentices, asking the
participants to work with the challenges they face when they are
creating a new design or creative work. Encourage them to think
first about the functionality of the product/design, reinventing it in a
different shape perhaps and then thinking just about the design,
thinking of changing or altering the scale. It will help them to focus
on the possibilities of the object (Creative Thinking) and not focus
on the original application or usage of it.
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6: Get Playful with Those Challenges!
Play With it!
When we remember to play we can escape into imaginary worlds
and even the craziest ideas can become possible.
When you were a child what was your favourite toy, was it Lego, a
guitar or objects from around the house?
Did you make things, play music or did you kick a ball around?
Being absorbed in an activity that we enjoy can lead to unexpected
outcomes or solutions.
Prepare yourself
Even when we just want to play we need to make time for it, so
switch off your phone and computer, prepare a space to play and
leave about 20 minutes for the activity.
You need to get the materials before your start and have them
ready to go in the space you work in.
Play with it
In the questionnaires worksheet in Module One you took a closer
look at yourself and described your plans or vision for the future.
In this exercise you can explore these future visions further in a
playful way. You can be as inventive as you like and come up with
your ideal scenarios. Be daring, courageous and follow your
inspirations.
If you have not answered the questionnaire from Module One now
is a good time to do it!
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Here are different ways in which you can create a vision for
yourself. Choose the activity you like most.
Make collage
Get some magazines to find images and text. Get a large sheet of
paper, don’t glue anything down, just arrange the design on the
paper, in this way you can change your vision and move it around.
The process is often more interesting than the end product.
Build it with objects
Collect objects and materials from home, college or work. Build the
scenario on a piece of paper. You can also take photos from
different angles, a great source of inspiration!
Write a silly song or poem
Get your guitar, keyboard or a few pots will do and put the glorious
story of your future into a funny song or poem.
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Case study
Binita is an architectural glass artists and the creator of My Ideas
Book. She participated in the HCT focus groups and the testing of
the manual/modules in London.
Binita has been a practicing artist for fifteen years working in
architectural glass. Much of her commissioned works came via
architects and she was very successful during the last 8 - 9 years.
Due to the recession and the current economic climate she realised
that the credit crunch had truly settled in and that there would be
very little public art opportunities available in the UK.
Binita realised that there would be less work opportunities but
couldn't see another solution as to how to move forward or to
generate more work for herself, she was stuck.
During the HCT focus group workshops she experienced the power
of Creative Thinking, given some simple tools she was able to free
her mind allowing new ideas and thoughts to flow through.
Afterwards she said "I felt elevated and alive but also like I had
been asleep for the last 10 years."
Some time later she was sitting in a café and was using some of the
Creative Thinking tools and had a eureka moment, She decided to
develop a new web based thinking tool herself for creative people
called My Ideas Book.
https:/www.myideasbook.com
Creative Thinking allowed Binita to generate lots of
ideas and focus on one that would work.
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Play With Your Problem
When we have a problem it can be hard to think outside our usual
patterns and often we can only think of solutions that are familiar to
us. Looking at an issue from different perspective can help you to
tackle it and to take positive action
Imagine your problem from a different point of view
1. It’s not your problem
What would you tell a friend when they ask you to give them advise
about a problem?
Imagine an issue that is on your mind is not
yours, but is the problem of a close friend.
What advice would you give your friend?
Think of the different aspects of the issue, it
might have hidden benefits; you might want
to point out some pitfalls in a plan or come
up with unusual solutions.
2. It’s not a problem
What would happen if the problem you are facing is not really a
problem because you are sure that that you can face up to it and
achieve the results you want?
Imagine a skill you are very confident in and everything related to it
is easy for you. For example, you are a carpenter and enjoy
working with wood. In this exercise imagine you could transfer your
confidence in a skill you like to an area you generally find
problematic. How does it you feel when you are working with
confidence and enjoying yourself? What would you need to change
so that you can get the same feeling in an area you feel less
confident about?
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Write your thoughts it in your notebook.
In your logbook write down a problem you have at the moment, try
to keep it to no more than 10 words. Next think of a good friend who
often comes to you when they have a problem.
Write down the name of your friend underneath your problem,
imagine this problem is theirs. What advice would you give them?
This will help you to be more objective about your problem.
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7: Moving Thinking Forward
Experiment and Evaluate
Always evaluate in an open and honest way. Evaluation is
important especially when we want to develop something new or
move ideas forward. This exercise shows you a very quick and
simple method to check what worked and what doesn’t and to come
up with methods to move forward.
Evaluation can be used for all situations:
When you experiment with new ideas for products or with new
materials
After a meeting, either with your boss, tutor, students, employees or
business partners
After introducing new strategies or methods
Evaluate
Write your evaluation in your logbook when you try out a new idea,
or a after a product development meeting. It’s good to get into the
habit and take the time to consciously write down what worked and
what didn’t and then to come up with new solutions.
This evaluation doesn’t take long. It is good to give yourself a time
limit, not longer then 3 min to answer each question.
1. How did you feel after the situation or event? Just one word that
sums up how you felt at that moment. Don’t write down any
justification, for example, I felt elated or I felt deflated.
2. What worked well and why?
3. What did not work so well and why?
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4. How could you have done it differently, (crazy ideas are
welcome!)?
5. Reflecting on what you have just written - what will you do next
time?
6. What do you need to put in place to make this happen?
TIP FOR TRAINERS
After the end of a training course, dynamic evaluation sessions with
the participants can help you to better understand their feedback
and to plan the next range of activities to suit their needs.
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8: Creative Thinking For Business
Welcome To The Business Section Worksheets
As we explained in the HCT manual, Creative Thinking can
enhance your business activity in different areas. Before we
consider some specific areas it is important that we understand
some characteristics of Creative Thinking, which will help you to
move forward.
A person using Creative Thinking does not encounter problems but
sees challenges; usually we use the word ‘problem’ as a reason for
something not to be done. Instead, applying Creative Thinking
enables us to see challenges instead and perhaps transform them
into opportunities.
With Creative Thinking we do not experience failures, but instead
we could have learning experiences.
Indeed Tom Peters, an American management guru says: ‘Fail,
celebrate failure, learn from failure then move on.’
Someone using Creative Thinking techniques has the possibility to
transform what others may see as a failure into a more positive
enriching experience.
Success story
Here is an an example of a failure turned
into a success:
The invention of the Post-it notes. This
was the outcome of a failed attempt to
create the strongest adhesive on the
market and became 3M’s most succesful
product!
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Very often you come across people who are dogmatic and ‘fixed’
about their ideas and ways of doing things, we could call this state I
am my position. Usually such people are inflexible and make it
impossible to consider new ideas or new ways of doing things.
When you apply Creative Thinking you are open to input and ideas
from many sources and will consider any idea no matter where it
originates.
When we hear someone suggesting a new idea, we are often quick
to judge it and usually do so in a negative way. As a creative thinker
you learn how to postpone judgement, give new ideas time and
then be positive and objective about your opinion. Giving space and
encouraging other people is contagious and helps innovation to
grow.
The first step in applying Creative Thinking in your business is to
focus. A good starting point is which sector or issue in your
business you would like to apply Creative Thinking to, being clear
and focused at the start of the process will help you to obtain
maximum impact.
Creative Thinking has 3 very important disciplines
• Focusing
• Applying the appropriate Creative Thinking tool
• Dedicated time available
Another important factor is perception. According to research done
in the United States, 80% of thinking errors are errors of perception.
That's to say that we tend to observe and perceive things that are
often based upon our own previous experiences, and develop
beliefs based on those experiences. All of this means that we can
miss important things when observing and trying to understand
certain situations. You think you see a particular situation, you
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decide according to what you see, but in fact your perception might
have been wrong from the start!
It is very important for anyone using Creative Thinking to be able to
visualise a challenge from different perspectives. Or even to turn an
idea around until you find a possible opportunity in it. This is a skill
that can be developed over time. You could practise this by looking
at your product from different perspectives, you could do this
physically, you could imagine it from the viewpoint of a child, you
could imagine it used by a different client group etc. and observe its
different potentials.
For Creative Thinking to take place one of the main inspirational
drivers is provocation. If we accept the status quo nothing will
change. A goal of the Creative Thinker is to transform or create
something and generate added value in the process.
When using provocation we simply add what if? For example:
• What if my ceramics are developed into a piece of
furniture?
• What if my carpentry is turned into an experience?
• What if my hairdressing is combined with another
service?
The following worksheets will help you to explore Creative Thinking
for your business
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9: Develop Your Product
Product Development
Ongoing product development is one of the core challenges of any
applied arts/craft business. There is an ever-evolving situation in
which consumer tastes, technology and new methods of
manufacturing are constantly changing, coupled with increased
competition due to globalisation.
A good idea is to try and regularly challenge yourself to develop
new products/services and create a portfolio instead of just relying
on a single type of product.
Reflection
• How long have you been making your current product? Have
you ever improved or changed it in the past? Why? Did the
changes work or fail?
• If for example you dismantle your product into its different core
elements, could you improve or modify any of these elements?
If yes, how could the improved/modified elements be
assembled/combined? Could there be new opportunities to
devleop something further?
• New technologies are constantly being developed and made
available, could you incorporate any of these technologies
within your products?
• Customers today are not only looking for products but also at a
product experience. Can you turn the manufacturing process
of your product into such an experience?
Provocation
In your logbook write down as many ideas as you can for the
following.
Assume that as from next year, the demand for you product will not
exist anymore. How will you use your existing skills and
competencies to develop something new?
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10: Getting It To Market
Marketing
One of the challenges that a small business often
faces is the expansion of their client base and
breaking into new markets. In this activity it is
important that you can define clearly the existing
boundaries and current size of your market.
For example: Is your market local, national or
international.
It would also be useful if you could identify the different types of
customers who buy your products and your services.
Once you have thought about that, you could start to provoke and
challenge the characteristics of your existing market.
Reflection
• If you currently sell your products to clients who visit your
workshop, can you think of any ways to find distributors and
retailers to sell your crafts in other areas, maybe nationally or
internationally?
• Maybe you currently sell your products as single stand alone
items. Could your product be integrated with another
product/service where both items reinforce and support each
other?
• If you sell to specific customers, could you identify methods of
scaling up or multiplying, for example in the hospitality industry
or in the leisure industry or perhaps museums and heritage
centres.
• Have you ever considered forming a business cluster and
combining with other people making similar products to
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undertake a joint marketing effort?
In your logbook write down as many ideas as you can for the
following.
Imagine you hear that in India there is a craze going for the type of
products that you produce. How would you begin making yourself
known and break into the Indian market?
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11: Managing Those Precious Resources
Management of Resources
The primary resources of any craftsperson or designer maker are:
• The location where they operate
• Their tools and equipment
• The time they can dedicate to their
craft/skill
• Employees, clients, and other associated
people
• The materials and resources needed to
produce their products
• Their financial assets such as loans,
cash flow, access to credit
These resources need to be properly managed to ensure efficiency
and effectiveness.
Reflection
• Are you creating enough time and space to think creatively?
• Do you use your resources to their full potential? Is there a
period in which your resources are not used? If that is the
case, you have what is called surplus value and your
business can actively benefit from this. How can you utilise this
surplus value and turn it into revenue? For example you have
a kiln that you fire once every two weeks, could you negotiate
with others who need a kiln to pay you for firing their work
when you are not using it.
• Is there another person or business with whom you can cooperate and share your resources?
98
In your log book write down as many ideas as you can for the
following.
You have acquired a large warehouse that is too large for your
current needs, but you plan to use it in the future. How will you
utilse it for your present needs in a way that is sustainable in the
short term?
99
12: Getting Your Message Across
Communication
Communication can be a major challenge
but also can be seen as an opportunity in
the current dynamic, economic climate.
Depending on the size of your enterprise
you may need to take care of internal
communication, dealing with employees
and suppliers, as well as taking care of external communication,
dealing with your customers. Digital technology has given us
excellent possibilities of expanding and facilitating inexpensive
communication.
Reflection
• Are you creating enough time and space to think creatively?
• Listening is an important aspect of communication. How much
do you listen to your employees, service providers and clients?
• Have you ever turned a complaint or negative comment into a
business opportunity?
• Have you explored the possibilities that information and
communications technology, particularly the internet, can
enhance your communication with your current and
prospective customers?
• Your product is also a source of communication and it has an
impact on your customers through its quality, packaging and
presentation. Have you ever focused on these various
elements that make up your initial product?
In your log book write down as many ideas as you can for the
following.
Image that you need to describe your product to a visually impared
client. What would you tell them?
100
13: Working Together
Have You Thought About Working Together?
Within this section we would like to highlight the importance of
cooperation and working with your creative ‘community’. It is a key
factor in tackling those hurdles that seem difficult to overcome by
yourself.
There are two main factors that
support all kinds of collective
working. The first one is trust, without
which you cannot share new ideas
and
develop
your
collective
objectives. The second one is a
common vision; this is essential for
defining what working together will
achieve and the common route that needs to be taken.
Working together can also be a stepping-stone towards inspiration
and knowledge sharing. You will have the opportunity to think about
new possibilities that might otherwise have not occurred to you.
The Beauty Of Diversity
Diversity is the key to achieving a strong co-operative partnership.
We usually work with other organisations or individuals’ working
within our sector and this is useful when trying to access new
markets, share knowledge or to expand possibilities.
However, in order to develop new ideas and possibilities, it is
important that we work collectively with other organisations different
from our own. This is where the power of Creative Thinking comes
into play, when it enables the creative potential of different
organisations to work together.
101
The European Enterprise Network
The European Enterprise Network (EEN) is a European wide
initiative supported by the European Commission that supports the
cooperation between enterprises at a European and International
level. The EEN can actively support you in finding partners for your
cooperation ventures and also guide you towards obtaining funds
for your ventures.
Within your region there is an EEN office that can provide support
and you can find your closest local branch by going to
http://www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu/
You can also find other similar organisations by searching on the
Internet. It is a useful source for finding things out and sharing
ideas.
102
Business Case Study
A micro- enterprise employing 7 workers, which produces and sells
pottery products for the local tourism market, is encountering
competition from companies that are importing similar products from
low cost producers in Asia.
If the company continues to compete on a production cost basis it is
liable to encounter serious financial problems. The company has
been trying to lower costs for the past months but it has now
reached a point where it cannot lower costs any futher. The owner
of the business feels that his customers do not appreciate the
authenticity of his products and only look at the price.
After some research on the Internet he found a report from an
association of tourism operators regarding the aspirations and
characteristics of tourists. He found out that tourists today are not
only looking at prices but also want to have an authentic experience
of the place they are visiting.
He decided to conduct a Creative Thinking session with his
employees focusing on the challenge and making the following
provocation. “What if we turn part of the workshop into an
experience?”
During the Creative Thinking session the group looked at how they
could make an experience involving pottery. How will they convert
part of their workshop? Is there enough space? Will this change
have an effect on productivity whilst it is being undertaken and what
will be the amount of investment they would need to undertake?
They analysed the benefits of this change.
The micro-enterprise expanded its workshop and created a section
where visitors can see pottery being made, learn the basics of
making pottery and make their own pottery whilst having the
possibility to buy from the company’s shop.
103
This has given the company a unique selling point that their
competitors importing from Asia cannot provide. It has also given
their clients an authentic experience enhancing their sales and
solidifying their position in the market.
104
Acknowledgements And Sources Of
Inspiration
The authors would like to acknowledge the important contribution
that the thoughts and publications of the following people and
organisations have brought to this manual and modules.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Capture Arts and Creative Projects Ltd
Finconcept (Steve Williams)
The World Centre for New Thinking (Joseph Woods)
Edward De Bono
Sir Ken Robinson
Innovation Union
Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1978). Teaching students through their
individual learning styles.
• Reston, VA: Reston.
105
Glossary Of Terms
After Action Review
Technique used to examine what happened during any chosen
action in order to be prepared to make adjustments to improve next
performance.
Applied imagination
Creativity – imagination on its own has no external value. It is only
when we apply imagination that we can create something and
generate value.
Closed language
Language, which tends to direct the people reading or listening e.g.
Are you intelligent? Will tend to elicit a yes/no answer. See Open
language.
Comfort zone
An imaginary space where we feel safe and unchallenged because
we already know how to deal with anything that is likely to happen
to us. When we step out of our comfort zone we experiment
something new.
Convergent thinking
Thinking which is analytical, usually deductive, in which ideas are
examined for their logical validity or in which a set of rules is
followed.
Creative industries
Range of economic activities that are concerned with the generation
or exploitation of knowledge and information. Also referred to as the
cultural industries.
Creative Thinking
The mental process of generating new and original ideas that have
value.
106
Creativity
The application of imagination that results in a tangible product
especially in the artistic field.
Critical thinking
The mental process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to
reach an answer or conclusion.
Divergent thinking
Thinking that moves away from standard trains of thought in
diverging directions so as to involve a variety of aspects and
possibilities. This may lead to original ideas and solutions.
Innovation
The introduction in a given context of something new. True
innovation is the introduction of completely new ideas, concepts and
their products that have not been used elsewhere.
Kinaesthetic
Related to movement – in the sphere of learning we talk about
people who aid their learning through the use of movement,
touching and manipulating objects etc.
Lateral thinking
See Divergent thinking.
Learning style
The way in which someone learns. We all use a combination of
different styles of which some will tend to dominate individuals
according to their past experiences.
Mental block
When something prevents you from moving forward with your
thinking – you tend to run over the same thoughts again and again.
107
Open language
Language that tends to offer the people reading or listening different
ways of replying e.g. how are you intelligent? See closed language.
Paradigm shift
A change from one way of thinking to another. First coined by
Thomas Kuhn in 1962
Sensory learning
The ability to learn through the use and exploitation of the five
senses.
Six Thinking Hats®
A thinking tool developed by Edward De Bono which helps to
remove ego from discussions and encourages Creative Thinking by
separating out thoughts into six broad categories: structure, facts,
positive thoughts, negative thoughts, emotions and opportunities.
The Capture System©
A thinking tool developed by Capture Arts, which encourages
Creative Thinking in both children and adults.
Thinking tool
A technique, which can be used to help direct thinking towards a
‘solution’. Tools may or may not involve tangible items
(questionnaire, materials etc.).
VET
Vocational education and training where there is a heavy emphasis
on a hands on approach, making the training less theoretical
compared to an academic approach.
108
About the partners
CESIE – Project coordinator
CESIE - European Centre of Studies and Initiatives – is a nongovernmental European, non profit, secular and independent
organisation established in 2001. It is committed to the promotion of
cultural, educational, scientific and economic development thorough
the use of innovative and active tools and methods, implementing
projects and research at local and international level.
Contact: Angela Martínez-Carrasco: [email protected]
www.cesie.org
Capture Arts – Core partner
A not for Profit Arts Collective based in London, UK. Capture
specialises in Creative Thinking and education / arts projects. They
work on a local, national and international level.
Contact: Deborah Astell: [email protected]
www.number82.org
www.makingthinkingmatter.org
109
Euromed Connect – Core partner
EuroMed Connect Co-op is a co-operative based in Malta, which
focuses on idea generation, project development and training. It
also promotes the active use of Creative Thinking within public,
private and non-for-profit organistions at a national and
interanational level.
Contact: Michael Refalo: [email protected]
http://www.euromedconnect.eu/
SENECA – Core partner
An Italian professional training body who specialises in Vocational
Training opportunities for a variety of stakeholders. It works at local,
national and international level.
Contact: Paola Baldassarri: [email protected]
www.senecabo.it
110
With the local support of
www.handmadecreativethinking.org
Handmade Creative Thinking – LLP Leonardo da Vinci – Transfer of Innovation (LLP-LDV-TOI-O9IT-0479)
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission and the LLP
Italian National Agency cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.

Manual of Creative Thinking

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